If you’re not familiar with meetups, they are groups organized online (usually around a specific topic or interest) that, as you can probably imagine, make plans to meet up in real life. There are meetups for single parents, small dog owners, euchre players, and all sorts of other niche interests. But what interests and inspires me most right now is The Rochester Web Startups group.

The group schedules meetups about once every month, usually on a Tuesday evening, and is attended by anywhere from 10 to 30 people all involved in some aspect of web-based startups. For their purposes, the term startup is pretty loosely defined and sometimes includes web developers at companies that have been around for over seven years (almost an elder statesman in internet years), a local music and multimedia producer, attorneys, etc. Last night we even had someone who owns a local landscaping company and was simply interested in our local entrepreneurial community. Really, all are welcome.

Right now the structure of the meetup is very informal and anybody is welcome to discuss any topic they want. The main purpose of the meetup is to get like minded people together sharing ideas and helping solve each other’s problems. Young entrepreneurs benefit from the experiences shared by more established founders and more experienced founders benefit from younger, different points of view.

The meetups are also a great way to informally network and get connected. As people talk and interact, their passions, interests and skills become obvious to everybody. There ends up being a lot of collaboration as people in need of certain skills to make their ideas happen or overcome some obstacle they’ve encountered meet people in our community with those skills.

If web startups aren’t really your thing, consider the Rochester Open Coffee Club. ROCC has a roundtable format and sometimes a featured speaker, who is usually a thought leader in our community. Previous speakers have included Steve Gersz from Underberg & Kessler who spoke about capital structure for startups in April and Richard Glaser, a private equity investor, who talked in May about what he loves about Rochester. Anyone interested in Rochester’s entrepreneurial community is welcome to attend. Rochester Open Coffee Club meets in person the second Friday of every month at the Bagel Bin in Brighton. Check out the ROCC website for more information about the group and their next event at http://rochesteropencoffeeclub.com.

The Rochester's Young Professionals blog is the place to look for the latest updates on the young professionals scene in Rochester, from career advice to networking events.

Contributors

Kate McGowan is a former Rochester television news reporter now working in the non-profit sector for the nation’s leading children’s charity, Make-A-Wish. She is passionate about inspiring young professionals to use their talents in becoming more actively involved in their communities. Follow her on Twitter at @KateMcGowan

Toni Lynn Arena: I am a digital media specialist by day and a fitness loving, animal activist by night. When I'm not working on self-improvement inside and out, I work with other philanthropists to build awareness within the young professional community and help make a difference.

Andrea Raethka earned a bachelor's in History, Sociology and Women's Studies from the College of Brockport. She is a mother of three young children and is always up for exploring new places for kiddie play dates. She enjoys good food, local shopping and keeping up to date on news, politics and public school issues. Find Andrea on Twitter: @Mango1531.

Ashley Dewey is an internet marketing blogger from Victor who shares thoughts about life and pets.

Audrey Burns is a reader, writer and full-time nostalgist who writes about cultural and social issues in Rochester.

Cynthia Pacia shares thoughts about giving and living in the Rochester area.

Eastman Young Professionals share the latest happenings at George Eastman House.

Habitat for Humanity Young Professionals share life and non-profit experiences, and their journey within Rochester’s changing landscape.

Jason Schwingle is a native of Rochester. He shares his thoughts and ideas on bringing young professionals back to Rochester and to downtown.

Jenna Kempie is the Social Media Chair for the Rochester Young Professionals, and is contributing posts on RYP activities and other helpful insights for young professionals in the community. Jenna enjoys getting out and exploring the area, and talking to people about their Rochester experiences, print and technology - on and offline. Follow Jenna on Twitter: @JennaKempie

Jennifer Galvez Caton is an active arts volunteer who shares her passion and perspective on theater, film, dance and music with young professionals in the Rochester area.

Jerome Nathaniel is a 2011 graduate of the University of Rochester, where he was an executive editor for the Campus Times and a service fellow with the Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence. Now, the Brooklyn native has returned to Rochester as an Americorp Vista at Foodlink, where he's serving as a hunger advocate.

Kayleigh Nutting is a non-profit professional that came to Rochester for college and never left. She is a graduate student and works full time planning special events and fundraising. Follow her as she writes about kicking back, giving back and appreciating the Flower City.

Kristine Caronna, a young professional blogger from Greece, shares her thoughts and updates.

Leah Shearer is a young professional and two-time cancer survivor from Rochester. She shares her unique perspective on all things - the serious, the silly and everything in between.

Luticha Doucette is a student researcher, activist and humanist who sees the world from a seated position. She chronicles life as a disable person seeking a PhD. position in biophysics at Yale or John Hopkins universities, and beyond.

Maria Thomas is the chair of RocCity Coalition, who is passionate about education and the needs of city youth. She writes about various opportunities for young professionals to get involved in the community.

Olga Podzorov is an agent with Nothnagle Realtors. She is a community activist and passionate philanthropist who is committed to working with young professionals. She covers a variety of real estate issues.

Ruth Harper-Rhode, a St. Bonaventure University graduate, does public relations for a local nonprofit. She moved to Rochester from a small city in 2011 and lived on Park Ave before moving to Penfield, where she currently resides.

Terra Keller sends updates from the staff at Foodlink, a popular regional food bank.

Stefanie Schwingle is a Rochester native and has worked at Wegmans Corporation for the past 10 years, but her interests lie in entrepreneurship and communication and her passions include urban living, photography, and cooking. Stefanie lives downtown with her husband and loves everyday life in the city.

Taren Greenidge earned her B.A. in Economics and Political Science, cum laude, in 2007 from Spelman College and her J.D. from Duke University School of Law in 2010. She is an associate at Littler Mendelson, P.C, a U.S.-based international law firm exclusively devoted to representing management in every aspect of labor and employment law. Taren is the president of the Black Young Professionals of Rochester, an auxiliary of the Urban League of Rochester, N.Y., Inc., which targets individuals ages 21 through 40 to foster growth and professional development, to empower members to achieve success and to strive to improve the community.